knittinggenes.blogspot.com

Miss Pie loves Da Bird.  She cries for me to take it down from the shelf and make it fly.  This is our second replacement feather.  She amuses herself with this toy over and over again.   Who says cats are not playful, interactive and a busy part of a home?   This is the inside of Harpoon Willy's Bar.  The ceiling has a big boat with a lady swimmer under it.  Amusing huh? As for knitting, I tested a pattern for a blog friend this week.  I cannot show it to you, but it will be well liked. I'm not used to using so many stitch markers, but at least I'm not knitting them INto the yarn anymore.  That was not amusing.  I also knitted a bit on another project I cannot show you. Trust me, there's been knitting.   If you loved Seinfeld and need a winter boost,  look up Jerry Seinfeld's  Comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com It is an online show and Zach introduced me to it yesterday.  It made me lau...

We interrupt this knit blog to give you some hair pictures.    Katherine, you were my inspiration.  I have wanted it short short for months.  It is shaved in the back and I love it.  I can brush it forward and it looks a bit more like the pretty brunette in the image below.  I pretty much have the thickest hair in the world. Every single person who has ever cut my hair confirms this.  Every person who shampoos it confirms this too.   I am overjoyed each day to shower shampoo condition and  be done with the blow dryer in about 3 minutes.  Most of the reviews are good.  One person today gave me the old,  "Did you cut your hair?" and nothing further …. that's pretty much a thumbs down.  Short sassy hair… that's about it here

  I went to Half price Books yesterday and bought a knit pattern book.  I'm going to make this Vested Interest Vest for myself.   It is going to take me a very long time to knit it.   I'll only give occasional updates.  Biggy yarn and needles hurt my arms and hands, therefore I can only knit a bit of this at a time.  The pattern is ridiculously simple so I can leave it and return to it easily.  (Beatles is not interested in going out today, even if it is 20 degrees)   I liked Half Price Books.   *I love my vacuum.   I have an Electrolux Ergo 18 volt cordless vacuum.   We have next to no carpet in our home.  Just some throw rugs and bare wood floors.   I will never go back to a corded vacuum again.   You can imagine why- *I am happy with our Sears Eliptical purchase of a year ago. Zach and I use the machine in very different settings.  I force myself to go on it al...

  My Slouchy hat is done.  I finished it just in time for the latest blast of winter cold to hit…. This is Lang yarn in a colorway that transitions itself rather….oddly.     As soon as I mention the odd shadow in this image you'll think I have a bulge in my cheek in front of my ear.  I really don't.  For a moment there I thought I was headed to the doctor…. but Fireman, former medic, confirmed it is just a shadow.    Pie and Roz and Tank have all tried out the new Hello Kitty Bed on the Dining room radiator.  Someone at the shelter makes them for a donation.   I have nothing purple in my house but I could not resist the Hello Kitty bed.  It washes like a dream.   My cats sort of play Musical Chairs all day.  Where one sleeps in the morning, another sleeps in the same spot in the afternoon.  Do yours do this?  If anyone needs some snow, this is just a minute portion of ...

  Fireman and I went snow shoeing yesterday while the temps were in the 20s.   Just wondering if anyone else is getting cabin fever?  I feel in love with some Lang Tosca and I liked it better in the skein than knit up.  Just wondering, has this happened to you? Not that I don't' like it, but it is not what I expected.  The hat is for me because I have shaved hair in the back and brrrrr it gets cold.  Just wondering, do you have to wear a hat? There will be hair picture soon, I promise.  I'm a little shy about it right now.  I started the infamous Elizabeth Zimmerman Butterfly vest yesterday.  It is knitted in worsted weight on size 9s.  My wrists/arm hurts after about 20 minutes.  I will be careful and switch to the hat knitting often. Just wondering, do you drop less stitches when you pick yarn than when you throw?  I certainly drop more throwing.   Finally this Monday ...

  Fireman was driving in Wisconsin with me yesterday. We live 30 minutes from the southern border of Dairyland and we often head north to the country.    This is January winter in the midwest at its finest.  Lake Michigan's blue is entirely different from the sky's blue. The farms and the fields are as pretty to me in winter as they are in summer.  Maybe even prettier as the white snow offsets the fences and barns and silos.  All this from the warmth of a car, of course. What time was spend outdoors consisted of just hurrying from parking space to store in a matter of minutes.  That was enough of the outdoors on a day when the wind finds your bones within a breath or two and you instinctually shudder to rewarm.    Three treasures were found amid the wind and the snow yesterday. We had some time to kill as our truck was being worked on,  and Siri found a yarn shop for me. Fiddlehead yarns...

 A long long time ago I asked Fireman for a skein of angora.  It was not cheap.  I loved the colors.   In two words, It itched.  I looked at it for years.  Then  2 weeks ago my friend Linda said she would line it for me.  Today at Spay Neuter she handed it back to me lined in fleece.  I'm so happy.   What a concept.  Hmmm is it possible to line an entire wool sweater in fleece? I think not.  Darn. 

  Knit pals Karen and Carol and Kathy C. inspired me today. Karen is knitting an entrelac wrap.   Do you have a knit pal that makes it all look so easy? Karen always make knitting look easy.   She's got a brilliant mind and tons of patience…. she tells me I can complicate anything. She's right! Carol knits simply and I am always in awe of her color choices.  She is knitting a shawl for her daughter in these pretty pretty colors. Kathy C just lost her beloved brother tragically and she turned to her knitting to soothe her.   She told us today how she started winding yarn while she waited for what she knew was going to be devastating news…. Knitting does that…. it inspires it soothes and it creates awe.  It isn't what I thought about when I wanted to learn the craft.  It was all about the FINISH ed knit back then.  Here's hoping your needles and yarn bring you  just what you...

  Knitpicks sock yarn hat moving along at a clip. Ellen I love the striping.  It was said to snow 2 inches an hour last night; I can only knit that fast on big needles with biggy yarn.    At 17, dear Rosalyn spends much of the day on the kitchen radiator…..snoozing.   She is the sweetest cat you will ever meet.  It is impossible for me to listen to her breath sounds with a stethoscope. She purrs too loudly from the second you go to her.  I don't understand people who Hate cats. I don't understand people who hate any animal. I am afraid of mice, but I don't hate them. The people who Hate cats almost always have never been owned by one.  Our cats in our life began with our marriage.   Magen (named for Magen's Bay in the Virgin Islands…our honeymoon and a heart shaped beach)  Fiona (Named for my Irish friend's niece)  Rosalyn (named at the shelter we adopted her from)...

Topsy Turvey Inside Out Knit Toys Fireman and I have a long standing habit of going to bookstores after a dinner date.  Are we exciting or what? We go our separate ways and explore the shelves. He can always find me at the KNIT shelf and I can always find him at TRAVEL.   All those glossy pages of perfectly knitted and more perfectly photographed knits gets me giddy.  I don't purchase many pattern books.  I should.  The knitters are not millionaires and we should support each other and our craft.   Of all the books I saw last night, I'd be most likely to purchase the Noro Book.    Karen, The Toy Book made me think of you.   It also made me think of Jennifer and Grace.  The prayer shawl book made me think of Nancy and  many others who like to knit for charity.  Al, that red shrug would be gorgeous on you even though you don't like red ...

Outside my window:  I saw a nuthatch on the bird feeder and I'm thrilled.  In the kitchen:  I am baking a cranberry bunt cake and it smells nice I am thinking: how lucky I am to have Ellen sending me yarn I am reading: Atchinson Blue  a gift book from my high school friend Eileen. I am hoping: Al doesn't have to work night shifts much longer. I am learning: how to make a photo book from MYPublisher I am wondering:  If anyone can look at the crochet pattern below and turn it into a knit pattern. I think it is just two pieces..

  Ellen from the blog The Ellen Report sent me some gifts at New Years.  She paid for 2 day shipping and it arrived today….14 days late.   Now, I'm delighted but I think she should get a refund don't you? Pie had to sniff the new yarn, and I am casting on with it as soon as I finish posting.  I hope it is as stripey as it looks.  I'm looking for stripe love lately.  Ellen How did you know ? These lovely blue sock blockers were also in the gift parcel as well as some wonderful eucalan wool wash. Ellen, Thank YOU!!!!!!  Mail fun is my kind of fun on a wintery Saturday  Now who can help us get Ellen a refund from USPS ?

  Happy Friday!   5 more coffee snugs have been knitted.  There will be more knitted this weekend for sure. The fair isle one is pretty but doesn't snug as well.  Why is white on white so lovely?  I'm still listening to the scanner now that Fireman is retired.  I'm nosey. There I said it. 

I should be finishing the Noro cowl.  I should be sewing the short end to the long side.  I should stick to my plan….   I should be knitting something more complex than coffee cup covers.    Yet, when I gave away my first two covers as gifts last night, my friends were overjoyed.  "Those cardboard wraps don't work to keep your hands from burning up holding fresh coffee!  These are  wonderful" they squealed.   So I should just admit that' I'm setting my WIPs aside until I make more coffee cup covers.   I should spare you the scenery around these parts,  because it is pretty dismal.   But here you go:  this is at the brightest part of yesterday…. That's why I entered Emily's Winter of Discontent Swap. My partner SHOULD get her fun package from me by the weekend.   Yarn swaps, that should perk me up….. I just know it will.

Clearly there is room for more cats in our house…. this is a rare camera at the ready, cats in a pose I could never contrive, image…. only Rozzy is missing.   From the left:  Beatles, (or  should be a therapy cat….so calm) Magpie (or  Pie, almost never sits still) and  Uncle Tank (or  unendingly patient with Pie)    Hooray for 50 dollar Macbook Apple repairs.  As soon as they called to say my computer was ready I felt my spirits soar.   It wasn't as if I had no other means, but I love familiarity and I'm speedy quick on the MacBook.     Forgot to show you our new Christmas Tree Topper the Gnome.  Clearance at Pier One Imports after Christmas sale  Finally, the coffee sleeves are entirely Judy and Ellen's fault. I am attending our annual very late Christmas dinner with two friends tonight.  They each get a coffee/tea sleeve with their other gift...

For the very longest readers you will recall this photo. It is perhaps the favorite of my ten years blogging.  Taken at a B and B when Al, irisheyesknitters founder Lynn and Maureen and I all did a knit over in wisconsin, it still moves me.  I won't bore you with recaps but I am photo limited until the Apple store is finished fixing the MacBook. Thanks to Judy and the rest of you, I abandoned all current wips and knit a coffee cozy last night.    I sat in the kitchen while the amazing hd tv played on in the other room for the men of the house....imagine that my own eyes with 3d capabilities....for free no less.  I used that gorgeous yarn leftover from Al s hat and cowl of New Years.   Wow the stitch definition just rocks with that stuff. Can't wait to show you Ahhhhhh the simplest pleasures...... I'm also enjoying these simple pleasures -posting from my warm radiator perch in the kitchen -free pandora ballet music  -my knitpicks brok...

This year is my tenth year of blogging at Irisheyesknitters We are going to celebrate!!!!!! Fireman and I went through old pictures on our old computer yesterday.  ( yes the weather here lends itself to tedius chores) The big surprise to me was that we had so many images to save and enjoy.  I think that having a blog made my camera always at the ready and I captured my family on ordinary days in wonderfully ordinary ways. Thank you blog.    There are going to be some celebratory prizes soon. What would you like to win?

In that I am working on the color cowl I thought I would add some color to the post today.   I love this girls chalked hair.  So so so cute.   Al should do it in the e r for the kiddos - what the heck maybe I'll do it too for my birthday this year ????.  I'm going to be one of THOSE old ladies.. Do you need a little beach color about now.  Just ten days into January????  We are going to get into the forties today in Chicago.    Lots of snowmelt , black ice at night and dirty cars.  The birds are so happy with the warmer weather, I need to be as observant as a bird .   My noro cowl is pure pretty,  lots of ribbing and satisfying to see such progress quickly. My most colorful yarn choices seem to happen in the dead of winter Finally I will leave you this Sunday with this thought Do you think you love color images or black and whites better??